opinions expressed in converge magazine
are not necessarily those of the staff, board,
and contributors of converge media inc.

Editor’s letter

“Learn to do right;
seek justice. Defend
the oppressed. Take
up the cause of the
fatherless; plead the
case of the widow.”
Isaiah 1:17

t was a Wednesday morning when
Nathan Cirillo was murdered.
Moments before, tourists photographed
the young soldier in ceremonial garb as he
was guarding the National War Memorial
in Ottawa. Standing there unarmed, he was
a living symbol of the sacrifice of countless
soldiers from years past who had died for
Canada, for democracy.
Then he was shot. Point blank.
He was just 24, a single dad. His was a life
unfairly cut short, tragically interrupted just
as it was getting started.

Photography by
MCpl Dan Pop,
4 Cdn Div Public Affairs

It doesn’t matter what you believe about
the military, whether you are a pacifist or a
just war theorist or the eye-for-an-eye type.
Nathan Cirillo’s death was a deplorable act
of injustice. We can all agree on that.

And what about those who society has cast
off as “lazy and crazy;” are they taking
advantage of our social programming, or as
Paula Cornell challenges, are they survivors
of systemic oppression?

For that’s the thing about injustice:
it’s often easy to spot. We know when we
or those around us have been wronged.
We know when things aren’t fair. When
the marginalized are exploited, when
governments are corrupt, when children are
harmed, when ethnic cleansing is allowed to
continue. We feel it to our core.

What if, as Ashley Chapman explores in
“To Green or Not to Green,” we are also a
part of the problem?

We all recognize the injustice around us,
but what then is justice? That’s where the
difficulty lies.
In our grief we ache for a punishment
that will somehow make up for the harm
that has been done. But often, the lines of
right-ness are easily blurred.
Does restoring justice mean we’re to
act and think like 24’s Jack Bauer, seeking
out righteous revenge on our enemies, no
matter what?
What happens when those who commit
acts of injustice are also victims themselves?

I first heard the phrase “social justice”
when I was about 20-years-old. I had just
started working for a Christian non-profit
that provides basic needs services to those
who are homeless or street-involved. The
term constantly peppered conversations,
as if everyone should understand what it
exactly was and what it involved.

Cirillo’s murderer was shot and killed; his act had
fatal consequences. But a Christian view of justice
calls for more than just consequence. It calls for
caring for Cirillo’s now-fatherless son. It asks what
brokenness could have motivated a man to commit
this murderous act, and how he could have been
cared for and restored. It demands defending the
rights and well-being of our Islamic neighbours,
who have been targets of violence by those with
racist hatred in their hearts.
So what is justice?
As Sarah and Jonathan Nicolai-deKoning write
in “Tough on Crime is Tough on People,” when it
comes down to it, “justice is about creating space for
all to flourish.”

I grew up in the evangelical church, and
social justice wasn’t part of my vocabulary.
My background placed greater emphasis on
evangelism than that of meeting physical
needs; this is the Great Commission
(Matthew 28:16-20), after all.
But as John Barry writes, the gospel
message is about changing someone’s entire
life. That includes not only empowering
them with the spiritual power of Jesus, but
the physical power to put food on their
plate.

ISSUE 20

Leanne Janzen
editor

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 5

3:
, 201
SEP 1

Time for a roof-raising
It's the 20th issue of Converge Magazine,
so we want to take a moment and say â&#x20AC;&#x201D;
WE'RE STILL HERE! And in an age of
print's demise, that's worth celebrating.
So thanks to all of you who have faithfully
read our little magazine, who write for it,
and who advertise in it. We really couldn't
do this without you.

Typography By
Jennifer Ku

20

th

M AY 7, 20 14 :

JAN 2, 2012:

6 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

ISSUE

FIRST ISSUE:

NOV 10, 2014:

FE B 20 14 :

convergemagazine . com | 7

8 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

REFLECT

Loving Your
Neighbour

Written By
brett mccracken
Illustrated By
Kriza borromeo

“‘Which of these three, do
you think, proved to be a
neighbour to the man who
fell among the robbers?’ He
said, ‘The one who showed him
mercy.’ And Jesus said to him,
‘You go, and do likewise.’”
Luke 10:36-37

or many of the Jews in Jesus’ day, one of the most unexpected
(and unwelcome) aspects of the message Jesus preached was how
much He emphasized loving one’s enemies. After centuries of being
conquered, exiled, beaten, battered, and ruled by one foreign regime
after another, Jews were understandably hopeful that the promised
Messiah would come with an iron rod to dash Israel’s enemies to pieces
“like a potter’s vessel” (Psalm 2:9).
But Jesus turned that expectation on its head by emphasizing — at
least in the “now” part of the “now and not yet” kingdom — love and
compassion for all people: neighbours, society’s exiles, the unlovable,
the “least of these” (Matthew 25:45), and even the enemies who
persecute us (Matthew 5:44).
The parable of the Good Samaritan is a classic example of how Jesus
challenged the religious establishment and His followers to care about
love as much as they care about law keeping. When Jesus tells a story
where a Samaritan is the hero and a model of neighbourly love to be
emulated (“go and do likewise…”), he is presenting a difficult call to
His Jewish listeners because Jews and Samaritans were enemies. They
hated each other.

The “go and do likewise” call at the end of the parable applies to anyone
who seeks to be a disciple of Christ. Loving my neighbour as myself is
tough because my “neighbour” doesn’t only include my friends, family,
and the nice, attractive people who are easy to love. It also includes the
difficult, smelly, insufferable people I might see as enemies. To love like
Christ is to love universally and unconditionally. And that’s costly. In
the particular case of the Jews and the Samaritans, it’s costly because it
rebukes any hint of racism or ethnocentrism.
Earlier this year at a prayer service in my church, a pastor — who
also happens to be an Iraq war veteran — led the congregation in
prayer for all those affected by the current conflicts in Iraq and Syria:
Christians, Kurds, Sunnis, Shiites, the military forces, and anyone else
being impacted by the bloodshed and terror happening there. But we
also spent concentrated time praying specifically for ISIS. We prayed for
them because in spite of their evil tactics — their crucifixions and rapes
and beheadings of innocents — they are not beyond the bounds of the
love and grace of God.
“But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute
you,” said Jesus (Matthew 5:44).

Showcasing the innovative and original,
here are some of the startups that
have recently come on the scene.

The Tourist company

The Tourist Company is an experimental
rock sensation out of North Vancouver.
The group was one of 12 bands in this year’s
Peak Performance Project.

for more, visit:
thetouristcompany.ca

Their latest endeavour is a charity
campaign called Music For Meals. The
Tourist Company recorded an acoustic EP
entitled Atlantic, and each EP is priced to
fully cover the costs of a meal through Union
Gospel Mission’s Downtown Eastside meal
programs; each EP sold equals one meal for
a person in need. And you get great music
in return!

For more visit:
Justea.com

Kenya exports more black tea than any
other country in the world – but over half a
million farmers live below the global poverty
line. JusTea is working to equip farmers
with the tools and training to craft tea on
their own farms. This is creating more jobs,
higher incomes, and a totally unique tea for
tea-drinkers in North America.
Based in Vancouver, British Columbia,
JusTea connects the farmer to you,
the consumer. They have a passion for
sustainable and ethical business, and for
great tasting tea.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 11

Be Prepared.
OVER LUNCH A CO-WORKER ASKS YOU
WHY YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN.
WHAT YOU SAY MAY DRAW THEM CLOSER
TO CHRIST, OR PUSH THEM AWAY.
WHAT WILL YOUR ANSWER BE?

THE INSTITUTE FOR
CHRISTIAN APOLOGETICS

Through the Institute for Christian Apologetics, ACTS Seminaries
offers relevant training to Christians from all walks of life on how
to effectively present their faith in the face of challenges.
Call Liisa at 1.888.468.6898 for more details

12 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

1.888.468.6898
acts@twu.ca
www.acts.twu.ca

Essential Training for Christian Service.

emerge

Dignify

The Oregon Public House

Dignify helps people shop for what they
love and feel great about buying: that which
promotes dignity, empowers humanity, and
champions good.

To shop for your own
kantha blanket, other
ethical goods, or to
read dignify’s blog,
visit: dignify.ca

They do this by selling goods from
around the world that have been handmade
by a real person, giving dignity, respect, and
a sustainable livelihood to artisans from
around the world.
Dignify’s key product is the “kantha
blanket,” a hand-stitched quilt of six layers of
sari cloth, imported from Bangladesh. Child
labour, human trafficking, child marriage,
homelessness, and sexual exploitation are
key risks for many women in Bangladesh;
those who have hand-stitched these kantha
blankets are no exception.
But, there is hope.
After a woman works through a
training program with Children’s Uplift
Program (CUP) or the Mennonite Central
Committee (MCC)’s Pobitra program, she
is hired to sew kantha blankets, in order
for the work of healing, care, and healthy
employment to continue. Dignify then
provides the goods online to the North
American marketplace.

The Oregon Public House (OPH) is
the world’s first non-profit pub. Located
in Portland, it’s a family friendly restaurant
where all can gather to have a pint (or
burger). And change the world.
for more, visit:
oregonpublichouse.com

OPH was built entirely through
community involvement. There is no CEO,
owner or benefactor. One hundred per cent
of net profits are donated directly to local
charities.
While the profit generated from one pint
of local craft beer may be just a drop in the
bucket for an organization like Habitat for
Humanity, OPH believes there is something
much bigger at stake.
The OPH business model operates like
a third party fundraising department for
non-profits. OPH helps to raise money and
awareness for them, so they can get back to
doing what they should really be focused
on: helping others.
By proving this concept is sustainable,
more and more people will adopt the
business model. And that will change the
world.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 13

emerge

WeMakeStuff

The “Christian artist.” It’s a cringe-worthy label, teeming with negative
stereotypes associated with mass marketed religious kitsch and sentimental
propaganda.
That’s why the Vancouver-based artist collective WeMakeStuff steers
clear of the term, while trying to open up a new dialogue about what it
means to be an artist and a person of faith. How? By making a piece of
art — that’s neither kitsch nor propaganda.
WeMakeStuff has produced a series of books, each featuring 100 artists
and innovators of all stripes who offer candid insights into their creative
process. Readers are introduced to people quietly pursuing excellence
within the fields of filmmaking, dancing, visual art, fashion, writing, and
music (among others).

14 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

For more information on how to
purchase WeMakeStuff Volume 01 and 02,
visit wemakestuff.ca.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 15

reveal

The Umbrella
Movement

photography By
Ross Burrough

pro-democratic demonstration, referred to
as the Umbrella Movement, has engaged
thousands of people in Hong Kong in protest since
late September 2014. Protestors have demanded
more political freedoms from the Chinese
government, specifically in voting for the Hong
Kong Chief Executive in 2017.
The movement began after the announcement
that nominees for the next leader of Hong Kong,
the Chief Executive, would not be chosen by
actual citizens of Hong Kong, but by the Chinese
government. Leaders from the communist party
stated that the freedom to vote for a leader should
be enough for Hong Kong citizens, that their
demand for the right to elect nominees was out of
the question.
For the people of Hong Kong, the Umbrella
Movement is more than a temporary battle for
voting rights. It is a statement to all of China that
they will not allow their voices to be unheard,
their democratic freedoms to be snuffed out.

Hong Kong was a colony
ruled by the U.K. and was
returned to the control of
China in 1997.

16 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 17

Traces

Six Ways to Overcome
Compassion Fatigue
Written By
Jessica Jordan
Photography By
Volkan Olmez

ou feel indifference bubbling in the pit of your stomach.
In your work to help others, you take in the hurt of those
around you, and feel your compassion slipping away. You register
the nightmare of someone else’s reality, but your eyes glaze over.
You simply go through the motions to serve, but your heart’s not
in it, not like it used to be.
You are experiencing compassion fatigue, the ultimate burn
out. Not only are you physically and emotionally exhausted, your
view of the world has changed.
According to Psychology Today, this happens when you’ve had
long-term exposure to people in distress. Many psychologists,
emergency care workers, and physicians experience this at some
point, but in reality it can happen to anyone. Emotionally caring
for a family member who deals with depression. Being there for
a roommate who continually makes harmful choices. Treating
a difficult coworker with dignity and respect when he’s socially
ostracized and outcast by everyone else in the office. It can get
exhausting.
Here are six recommendations when you notice your heart
transitioning to sandpaper.
1

acceptance

You don’t want to admit that you’re growing cynical of the less
fortunate, or that annoyance has replaced your compassion. You
think that admittance might mean you’re heartless, but compassion
fatigue actually happens after you’ve begun to care too much.
Once you come to terms with the fact that your worldview has
become skewed, you’ll be better able to pinpoint how to address
the fatigue. Pay attention to the moments or the people provoking
your emotional shut-down. Accept the fact you are struggling so
that you can recognize your triggers.
2

self-reflection

Think about who you were before your burn out. Then, meditate
on your present situation, and honestly confront what might
need to change. Unhealthy lifestyle choices such as diet, sleeping
habits, lack of exercise, and constant stress may all be contributing
to your exhaustion. Similarly, consider your emotional, social, and
spiritual health. Are you in any toxic relationships? Do you have
a strong support system? Have you spent much time in prayer
lately? Find the root of your exhaustion, then replace it with lifegiving disciplines and behaviours.

18 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

3

counsel with others

Whether it’s a mental health professional, a spiritual leader in
your church, or your dear old mom, you need to find someone
you trust to become your compassion confidant. Engaging in a
raw conversation about your life with someone else is always selfrevealing. You are not meant to struggle through this life alone.
You need someone else to talk to. You just do.

4

practice gratitude

When you lose your spirit of thankfulness, you essentially put on
a pair of blinders to the rest of the world. Only a grateful heart
can see the brokenness of others, and experience a desire to get
involved. Be thankful for the little things, like your morning cup
of coffee, or a good book. Don’t focus on what or who is missing
in your life, but be content in the situation that you’re in.

5

implement BOUNDARIES

Honestly examine what you can and cannot do. Maybe this means
saying no to something or someone, or limiting the amount of
time or energy spent with the individuals you’re caring for. Or
it could mean asking for help from those around you. Recognize
your limits, and then be strong in sticking to them. Creating and
maintaining boundaries isn’t easy, but it will allow for you to
continue loving and serving others with your whole heart.

6

remove yourself if necessary

There does come a point when moving on to something else is the
only option for your mental and emotional health. And that’s OK.
The necessary change is not always in the circumstance but in the
person. Sometimes the best thing to do is to remove yourself from
the situation, and allow others to take your place.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 19

Traces

What Does $1 Get You
Around The World?

Written By
Jessica Jordan
Illustration By
Kriza Borromeo

St. Petersburg, Russia

Penang, Malaysia

Kanye, Botswana

One litre of gas

A dozen eggs

14 kWh of electricity
(This can power a medium sized air
conditioner unit for 14 hours.)

Justice must be defined primarily from the
Creator of this world instead of from the
cultures of it. When the Bible talks about
justice, it is connected both to judgement and
to merciful care; so for me it must be the same.
It is the coming about of that which is right —
both through the punishment of wrongdoing
but also through the provisional care of those
who need it.

Justice is the idea that something can be done to
make right a wrongdoing. It is a way to punish
someone fairly, staying within the moral limits.
It allows consequences to exist for breaking the
rules.
Merciful
Care

Michelle Chong, 22

Chris Pipes, 43

Graphic design student

Minister

Consequences
Justice means sacrificial love and care for
people who need help, like how God hears the
cry of the poor and cares for them. Taking the
first step to help people is not easy, but doing
it for Him might change a person’s life. And
sometimes just being there for a person means a
lot. A little thing that we do to help matters and
how God works in so many ways is amazing.

Sacrificial
Love

God’s Call
for Justice

Scripture, specifically Luke 14:13-23, highlights
many elements of social justice: breaking
down barriers, the inclusion and acceptance
of marginalized people in society. There is a
big difference between the world’s definition
of justice and God’s. The world calls for social
justice to promote development and human
dignity in this temporal society. But God’s call
for justice is more out of His perfect, undying
love for all mankind. God’s call counts for
eternity.

jenny lee, 21

Catherine Scott, 29

Nurse

Recruiter

Y
T
I
C
E
H
Y
T
T
EOCFI
HP OP IO ND G
In my own words, justice means the rights of the
law. I firmly believe justice can be used in two
different ways. One being if you do good, justice
will be emitted towards you in a rewarding way.
The other being if you do wrong, justice and
punishment will be served upon you depending
on your act.

Correct
Punishment

A
R
U
M
O
G
B
D
N
H
I
O
MUN RAE HPI OGP
Rights of
the Law

Justice is serving the correct punishment,
consequences, and/or restitution for actions
committed. Usually, this is in reference to a
court of law where the legal ramifications of a
crime are being dealt to the guilty party. Justice
incorporates more than just consequences
and punishment; justice always tries to make
amends according to a set rule or truth that has
been broken.

MA

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 23

Views

Q&A With Ratanak Founder
Brian McConaghy

Written By
Julia Cheung
Photography from
Ratanak International

“I ended up on the ThaiCambodia border, getting
shelled and shot at in the
middle of the civil war,
staying in one of the shanty
towns in a little iron
corrugated building.”

&

FIND HOPE

ormer police forensics specialist Brian McConaghy, 51, talks about what
inspired him to take a flight across the Pacific to the tiny war-torn country of
Cambodia 25 years ago — one that would eventually turn his life upside down.
How did you land a job with the RCMP?

I didn’t apply. I was dyslexic, an academic disaster. But a byproduct of dyslexia
was a good visual memory. The RCMP heard about that, and they dragged me
in because I happened to know guns, too. They said, “We want you. Go get a
university degree. We’ll hold the job for you.” So I did. But I never read a textbook,
and had to learn other ways to absorb and regurgitate information.
Then how did you start an international NGO?

...

livingwaterscanada.org

24 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

I was lonely when I moved to Vancouver in 1986. So I reached out to international
students. I led a Bible study. I then travelled to Asia in 1989. Walked straight out
of the airport in Bangkok — deliberately without any hotel bookings. I wanted to
know what fear felt like, to walk out of the airport with no plans, so I could relate
to international students.
I ended up on the Thai-Cambodian border, getting shelled and shot at in the
middle of the civil war, staying in one of the shanty towns in a little iron corrugated
building. I had walked right into a warzone... [and] had the privilege of meeting
skeletal Cambodians staggering out of the minefields, seeking aid.

Yes. God uses weakness. The week I flew home, I happened to see a documentary
where this 11-month-old girl named Ratanak was dying because of a UN embargo
around Cambodia. But I knew there had been massive warehouses stocked with
medication back at the Thai border! [No supplies] were allowed in to the people
who were starving, dying, and tortured because they were on the wrong side of
the political divide. It infuriated me. In memory of Ratanak, I decided to smuggle
medicine across that border.
So you founded a social justice organization focused on Cambodia — named Ratanak
— as your side-project for 18 years. On top of medical supplies and advocacy, you
added a slew of humanitarian aid. What made you eventually quit full-time police
work and move into full-time charity work?

A Canadian [Donald Bakker] had been caught molesting a prostituted woman in
Vancouver. The police seized him, and confiscated his videos. I was assigned to the
case because mixed in among the victims on video were little Asian children — and
I had expertise in Cambodia.
I had done decades of pretty gory stuff, but nothing prepared me for child predator
videotapes. I came home from work that day shell-shocked. Then, I happened to
watch this documentary about an IJM [International Justice Mission] raid, rescuing
kids from brothels in Cambodia. I immediately recognized that door frame, that
couch, the same kids.... The IJM raid had occurred in the same crime scene as the
one in the evidence videos that I had just watched at work! Within 72 hours, I had
GPS locations and the probable names of all the kids. This helped us to prosecute
Donald Bakker.

Live the
Theatre!

So the humanitarian work started because you were just a lonely 24-year-old?

Live Your Story
professional theatre training
in Rosebud, Alberta
rosebudschoolofthearts.com
1.403.677.2350

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 25

Views

1

CHANGE
the world

Help Christians as they follow
in Christ’s footsteps, share
Jesus with those around them,
and become active disciples in
Canada and around the world.
Visit p2c.com/gift

10

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/month

26 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

That’s CSI genius.

This is not a testament to good investigation skills, but to God saying: do what
you’re supposed to do. I had agreed to watch those tapes, even though I had avoided
child sex abuse stuff in Cambodia for years. When I was finally confronted with
these seven little girls staring at me out of the video with their big brown eyes, God
made it personal. God was saying, “Are you ready? Are you going to engage? I will
do the heavy lifting. You do what’s right.”

So you engaged — full-time. That’s inspiring. What’s one thing you would you say to
an ordinary millennial like me, looking for meaning in life today?

Meaning is not to be found in career. In my mid-20s, I had managed to get a
dream job. But all of a sudden, it became completely eclipsed by the needs of a poor
country that nobody else cared about.
Then God took me even lower into the muck by introducing me to seven little
girls in that evidence tape. Five were rescued. Some now know the Lord. Some
refer to me as dad. There is no higher honour. That which scared me most has
become the richest experience I could imagine.
So for a young person? Do right. Irrespective of the costs. And what you feel
called to do really doesn’t have a lot of bearing on your skills or your talents. It’s got
everything to do with being willing and letting God say, “OK, I’ll take you here.”
Yes, chances are, this is going to be frightening. But this is where the world starts
to change.

grow

Help us
more
happy and healthy children!

Your $100 gift can be matched
to provide up to $500 in food.

2
1 Ratanak contributes to hope and freedom
from exploitation and poverty.
2 The organization provides various prevention,
rehabilitation, and reintigration programs
for victims of sexual exploitation.

For more information,
visit: ratanak.org

ERDO’s food programs can receive Canadian
Government matched funding of up to 4:1
through our partnership with the Canadian
Foodgrains Bank. These funds help us to provide
emergency food, increase nutrition, and serve
healthy meals once per day in classrooms in Asia,
Africa and Latin America.

Get involved now:
• Donate online at erdo.ca/donate/food

“That which scared me
the most has become
the richest experience
I could imagine.”

• Hold an event and raise funds.
Your $1,000 in event donations can
generate up to $5,000 in food.
• Learn more at
www.erdo.ca/food-assistance

ERDO is the humanitarian agency of The Pentecostal Assemblies of
Canada, and has over 30 years of experience serving people in need.

ecently on This American Life, I heard the story of Emir, a Bosnian refugee,
who fled his war-torn country to the United States as a child. With the help
of an exceptional teacher who championed his potential, Emir went from living in
poverty to studying at Harvard, eventually becoming a professor.

You don’t come to us—
we come to you.
Courses can be taken:

Individually
Customized to ﬁt around
your life

We love success stories like Emir’s, or like the film The Blind Side, the story about
NFL football player Michael Oher, who owes much of his success to a family who
took him in when he had no one. There’s just something so irresistible about seeing
the underdog flourish.
But though these stories are popular, they’re not nearly as recurring as the
stereotypes. These ideas that we have of people who haven’t tried hard enough to
pull themselves out of a bad situation, or worse yet, who have chosen to be there:
criminals, addicts, alcoholics. These lost souls who are crazy and/or lazy, who are
on welfare instead of working. In short: they’re not successful because it’s their own
damn fault.
But what if there’s more to the story than this success/failure binary?

As a Cluster
With others from your
community or ministry

At an RMC Site
Take courses at a
designated site
• Certiﬁcate • Diploma • Degree
• Continuing Education

I could tell you countless stories of the people I’ve met who live in poverty and
rely on the help provided by government programs and social agencies like the one
I work for. But what might surprise you is that though I haven’t met any Michael
Oher’s, I haven’t met any lazy people either.
On the contrary, I have met hundreds of resilient, hardworking people who wake
up every morning in tents by the river, or in run-down, over-crowded rooming
houses, or even in apartment buildings like yours all over the city. People who do
the best they can with what they have in order to survive another day.
Like kind, quiet, helpful James, whose marriage fell apart when he got hurt on
the job and couldn’t work anymore. He now survives on the little money he has left
after he pays child support. James lives well below the poverty line.
Or Hank, a gentle but hardened 50-something who works in the trades, who I
suspect has undiagnosed autism. He loses jobs often because of his sensitivity to
noise; his young colleagues often like to blast music while they work, and he just
can’t handle it. He sleeps in a shelter, on a mat on the floor, with no blankets. Yet
every day, he gets up and tries again to find a job he can do.
Some of the people I’ve met haven’t had the opportunity to go to school. Or
they haven’t grown up with parents who have taught them social skills. This often

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translates into spending hours digging through trash bins looking for empty bottles
to recycle or for things they can re-sell. Or it means lining up at a temporary labour
organization at 6 a.m. to see if they can get work for the day. Those who do this
usually make little more than minimum wage after the agency takes a cut.
For many other people, after years of working, they wake up and are unable to
work because of an illness or a workplace injury.
They crave purpose, but are unable to fit into conventional workplace
requirements.
These are just pieces of the story; and perhaps some of these pieces will never add
up to “success” in the way that society deems best.
Maybe there’s a lot more to achieving success than hard work. Maybe gender,
race, and your position in the social hierarchy have something to do with it. But
maybe the most important part of success comes down to someone taking a chance
on someone else.

“Maybe there’s a lot more
to achieving success than
hard work. Maybe gender,
race, and your position in
the social hierarchy have
something to do with it.”

Take stories like Emir’s or Michael Oher’s. Sure, they both had talent and worked
hard, but each of them had someone who believed in them, someone who went out
of their way for no reason at all.
Maybe we actually owe it to those who are living in poverty, to those who are
considered “unsuccessful,” to not only see beyond the imperfections and stereotypes,
but to invite them into our lives. To mutually engage in the messiness of another’s
experience, offering the dignity of a life shared.
Even if someone’s economic or health situation never changes, this belief in
someone who has lost all hope for herself, will make room for confidence, selfrespect, and the recognition that she’s worthy of love. This is true success, for
everyone involved.

Poverty can shorten your
life expectancy by 21 years,
according to an analysis by
The Hamilton Spectator.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 29

Views

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Hitting Bottom

Written By
Steffani Cameron
Photography By
Todd Quackenbush

ventually, for most of us, we hit bottom. Personally, professionally,
spiritually, there is a point comes where defeat seems imminent.
Sometimes, though, having nothing left to lose is one of the most
powerful times in our lives. It’s darkest before dawn, as they say.
Addiction and recovery are like that. Addiction makes seeing clearly hard
to do until calamity is before us. Some can make it through recovery
alone, but most need help.
That “dark bottom” sometimes comes from external forces, but other
times, we find it by ourselves.
—
For one John Volken Addiction Recovery Academy student, his bottom
came in 2012.
At 22, Brandon was a master manipulator, doing whatever he needed,
crashing from place to place to place. With no real home and little family
connection left, Brandon was trapped in an addiction cycle, constantly
high, numbing himself against a life lacking meaning and permanence.
Courageously, Brandon turned to his mom Judy for help, admitting
defeat in addiction. Having heard about John Volken Academy (JVA)
from a friend, Judy suggested the program. Brandon detoxed, then joined
the academy, resolved to beat addiction.
Despite the problems Brandon had caused for his parents, Judy was
reluctant to send him across the country. As she cried to her husband, he
said Brandon’s recovery was now a matter of life-or-death. Judy turned
again to her friend who had told her about JVA.
“Have faith,” her friend said. Judy clung to those words.
On Mother’s Day last year, Brandon, head high and shoulders back,
looked Judy in the eye and said, “Mom, this program is saving my life.
I’m learning life skills to help me cope so that I don’t return to my
addictions.”
—

30 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

There’s only so much JVA can do to change its students’ lives. The
students must crawl through their own dark places and find whatever
light they can. All the program can do is help, bringing them tools for
success.
The academy’s founder and benefactor John Volken had a $200-million
payday from selling his successful furniture chain United Furniture
Warehouse, and he wanted his money to help change lives. After nearly
a decade of conducting global research, along with consulting the
community and leaders about various social causes, Volken found that
addiction and recovery spoke to him.
Enter John Volken Academy (formerly known as Welcome Home).
For a minimum of two years, the organization provides everything to
its students: from residences to nutritional planning, job training and
education to therapy, through to yoga and relearning how to have good
clean fun.
—
Brandon’s graduation day soon looms, but those in his life think Brandon’s
a new man.
It’s a stark contrast to the boy he was two years ago. Today, Brandon
accepts responsibility, is a leader, and understands life is for those who
are willing to work for what they want. It’s a clean, accomplished life that
Brandon seeks, crediting his family, JVA, service, hard work, and God for
helping him find his way to a new day.
Judy writes, “Words cannot express how grateful we are. For any parents
feeling just like I did in the beginning, let me say one thing: Have faith!
The journey is so worth it!”
Recovery is a life-long road, a chronic treatment. Much determines if we
make it through successfully, but it ultimately comes down to two things
that we all need for success in life: faith and courage.
—
If you know someone ready to make the commitment to recovery,
John Volken Addiction Recovery Academy can help them get there.
Call toll-free at 1-855-592-3001. Learn more at volken.org.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Do not forget to show
hospitality to strangers,
for by so doing some
people have shown
hospitality to angels
without knowing it.â&#x20AC;?
Hebrews 13:2

85 per cent of Canada's
eligible permanent residents
become citizens, making it the
highest rate of naturalization
in the world.

32 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

hrusted into unfamiliar surroundings —
a new city, new job, new school, new role
— most of us have experienced, at some point
in our lives, that gut-wrenching feeling of being
on the outside.
For newcomers, this feeling of otherness, of
awkwardness and frustration, is a daily reality.
When people from all over the world flock
to North America, says immigration consultant
Jacquelyn Co, they’re often consumed with
visions of prosperity and security, of finally
making it to the land of plenty.
“In the midst of starry-eyed hopes, my job is
to provide a reality check. I’m not here selling
the dream or illusion,” says Co.
“They don’t realize upon arrival, their work
has just started.”

“I felt lost at times,” says Xiao. “I could
not relate with Canadians because I didn’t
understand their slang or certain phrases.
Because I didn’t grow up here, I had no idea the
pop culture they were referring to.”

Culture & Connection

So what are some of the biggest barriers for
those who have relocated to North America?
Here are three of the most overwhelming
adjustments for newcomers as they settle into
their new lives.
language

Adapting to a new language is difficult for 26 per
cent of immigrants.

Seyon Kim is a community advocate for
Journey Home, an organization serving refugee
families by providing housing, settlement
assistance, and relational support. “Without
the ability to communicate, one’s sense of safety
and well-being — being lost in a new city, basic
needs [such as being] unable to ask for or locate
food or water — is greatly impeded.”
Though she’s not a refugee, 37-year old
artist-educator Jill Cardwell says she has
experienced this firsthand. Relocating from
Northern Ireland seven years ago, she says
even grocery shopping was tough for her in the
beginning. “When I recognized something, I
would buy it. It was less disorienting to figure
out, so I ended up eating tins of soup, bread,
butter, pasta, sauces for weeks.”
Former HR Manager Karen Xiao, 28, says
she experienced a kind of language barrier
she wasn’t expecting. She remembers feeling
estranged in conversations, even though she
grew up in an international community in Hong
Kong where English was the main language
spoken.

13 per cent mentioned the challenge of adapting to
new cultures and values.

Xiao and her husband have been married
for a year now, and surprisingly, their biggest
marital issue has been her inability to drive.
Her husband grew up in North America where
driving is a rite of passage. Xiao, on the other
hand, says she was accustomed to Hong Kong,
where people commuted or walked. Her fear
of getting lost in a new city and of not being
acquainted with bus routes caused her to
rely heavily upon her husband to drive her
places. Slowly, she says, she is adjusting her
expectations; she has recently passed the first
stage of the driving tests.
32-year old Eduardo Sasso also found
himself having a difficult time adjusting to
North American culture; he initially came
to Canada from Costa Rica to complete his
Masters degree.
“On one hand, being a visible minority that’s
historically stereotyped as lazy or less capable,
I feel disadvantaged at times. It makes finding
work difficult,” says Sasso.
“Also, Latin American culture is warmer,
more relational and family-oriented. North
Americans are more intellectual and taskdriven. If you’re not from this city, it’s difficult
to insert yourself in a group. But with good
reason, perhaps people are accustomed to
friends leaving, so they’re not willing to go too
deep,” he says.

“I felt lost at times. I
could not relate with
Canadians because I didn't
understand their slang or
certain phrases. Because I
didn't grow up here, I had
no idea the pop culture
they were referring to.”

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 33

angles

friendships & support
Social support and interactions are another challenge
for new immigrants, with 13 per cent citing the absence
of support from their home country as a difficulty and
seven per cent citing the lack of social interactions/new
friends in Canada.

“I need friends!” wails Xiao. “It’s a big
stretch to be uprooted from my networks and
friendships from Hong Kong and to start from
scratch. It seems that the older one is, the
harder it is to break into people’s circles. You
may not be welcomed.”
She says her saving grace was attending
school. “It put everyone on the same playing
field. We were all in a similar situation of
newness to one another and the program. No
one felt like the only stranger.”
The biggest key for Cardwell’s transition was
having someone intentionally walking alongside
her for a period of time — acquainting her with
the transit system, grocery stores, introducing
her to “normal Canadian life” — until she was
able to gain confidence and independence.

SEEKING:
GRITTY
HONEST
TRUTH

“When I moved to Canada, I was given a
friend of a relative’s work address. So pretty
much, a complete stranger, and told to show up
and they would take care of me,” she says.
And yet, the struggle continues after seven
years of settling into Canada. “People are
friendly because you’re a newcomer,” says
Cardwell. “But I find it hard to have deeper
friendships, to find those willing to put in the
time, perhaps because of the transient nature of
living in an urban city where people come and
go constantly.”
Xiao’s husband Bily says locals need to take
more responsibility to get past the surface with
newcomers, and to truly invite people into their
inner circles.
“You don’t need a lot of friends. Just a few
consistent ones,” he says. “Locals need to have
a heightened sense of awareness for hospitality
and receiving people,” he says. “Not just saying
hi, but inviting the newcomer to social events,
homes, or simply explaining, ‘This is a Canadian

activity: barbecues, the beach, hockey games,
hiking.’ [Locals] need to express desire in forming
true friendships. Intentionality is key.”
These are simple acts. Grocery shopping.
Exploring bus routes. Inviting someone into
your home. Having a simple conversation.
Explaining cultural differences. Confiding in
someone, as friends do.
But admittedly, hospitality, this purposeful
welcoming, is inconvenient, messy, and just plain
hard. In a culture that’s increasingly isolated
and self-dependent, our culture desperately
needs it. Hospitality is the bonding glue that
eradicates the borders between outsider and
insider, alien and citizen.
So as we interact with those who have
recently — or not-so-recently — arrived,
let us be conscious of their needs for social
interaction, for inclusion, for understanding.
Let us, as Sasso says, “take the risk of finding
Jesus in the face of the stranger.”

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remember my confusion when I started an internship at an
environmental policy office. It wasn’t paperless; not even close.
The office lights were wired as a package deal, meaning they all stayed on
until the end of the day. Take-out lunches came in crisp white Styrofoam
containers, and mine were the only meatless meals around the table.
Most of the staff walked, biked or carpooled to work, but that likely had
more to do with finances.
They worked, after all, at an environmental policy office.
It seemed somehow — inconsistent. How could we challenge
politicians on their environmental record when our office didn’t even
have a compost bin? How could we call for energy reform when we had
already booked the plane tickets to bring out-of-town board members
to the annual general meeting? It didn’t take me long to realize that
in the environmental world — pardon the pun — nothing is clear cut.
The scope of the problem

From the command given at Mount Sinai to rest the land every
seventh year to Revelation’s account of judgement for “those who destroy
the earth,” God calls us to care for our natural surroundings. This is
important for the sake of protecting creation itself, but also as it relates
to the most vulnerable around the world.
The UN Refugee Agency estimates that in less than 40 years, 200
million refugees will be forced from their homes due to environmental
degradation. In the Maldives, a nation of low-lying islands, the
government is investing partial tourism profits into a fund to eventually
relocate their entire population to land in South Asia. In Bangladesh,
where the per capita carbon footprint is 0.3 metric tonnes (compared to
18 metric tonnes per capita in Canada), unprecedented storms and floods
are ravaging people’s lives, homes, and once-fertile land.
The World Health Organization warns that by the year 2030, about
300,000 people will die annually from the impacts of climate change.
Disproportionately, they will be people whose lifestyles have caused the
least environmental damage on a world scale.

36 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

In Canada, much of the debate centres on the oil sands in Alberta
and the pipelines proposed to bring the bitumen to American, Asian,
and even European markets. In British Columbia, the Northern Gateway
pipeline is proving so contentious that a plebiscite on the issue was held
in Kitimat, B.C., resulting in a 58 per cent “No” vote. Further south
along the coast, the pipeline debate has even coloured the Vancouver
mayoral race, despite the decision being outside of municipal jurisdiction.
According to some polls, as many as two-thirds of B.C. residents oppose
the Enbridge project.
Embracing Hypocrisy

Of course, we don’t need polls to prove that two-thirds of B.C. residents
would back complete independence from oil, gas and petro chemicals.
While there may be a fraction who come close, most people still fly, heat
their homes, use plastic products, and eat food that was either sprayed
with petrol-laced pesticides or driven to the organic farmers’ market.
Karri Munn-Venn, an environmental policy analyst at Citizens for
Public Justice and co-editor of Living Ecological Justice: A Biblical Response
to the Environmental Crisis, doesn’t believe that living within the current
system should stop people from speaking against the status quo.
“I think it’s really important that we look at the broader systemic issues:
the way our economy is structured, the way our infrastructure is built and
the way industry is subsidized.”

In reality, the impact of these actions are infinitesimally small. In Living
Ecological Justice, Munn-Venn and co-editor Mishka Lysack explain the
disconnect between personal greening measures and the enormity of
environmental issues.
“The key is scale,” they explain. “The problems lie with how we have
organized our economy and designed our buildings and cities, hardwiring
our problems into structures that are difficult to change.”
The question then becomes: should we invest our time and money
primarily into individual, household, or church greening initiatives? Or
should we invest our limited resources into political engagement and the
movements working for regulatory change that could potentially make
far more significant and measurable progress?
This, I came to realize, was why my environmental policy office didn’t
sweat the small stuff.
The power of everyday actions

While we need to be pragmatic, we are also called to act with integrity.
In the same way that we can’t switch to cloth grocery bags and think
we’re saving the world, we can’t write a letter or sign a petition and think
it gives us carte blanche to live wastefully.
Understanding our lifestyles’ impact on the natural environment and
on the world’s most vulnerable people, we need to work for change that’s
both top down and bottom up. Our everyday actions, though limited by
the constraints of our current system, can become a prophetic witness of
new ways we’re willing to live.

As an example, she points to the difference between installing
solar panels and connecting to the pre-existing power grid. While a
homeowner may find some rebates to offset the cost of purchasing the
equipment and installing the solar infrastructure, it’s still much easier
for homeowners to simply access the existing system, using traditional
energy sources.
Can we be too green?

While the growing “green” emphasis in society is an encouraging
shift, there is a downside. A myopic focus on green lifestyle changes —
even in a genuine attempt to avoid hypocrisy — can actually confuse
the environmental facts. In This Crazy Time, environmental activist
Tzeporah Berman recounts some polling conducted by PowerUp
Canada that confirmed the need for more robust public education on
climate change.
“When we asked Canadians to identify the cause of global warming,”
she writes, “they were less likely to blame the tar sands than they were
to say, ‘I use too many plastic bags.’”
Confusion is not the only downside of the movement towards
everyday greening. “Ironically, it can lead to a bit of complacency,”
says Munn-Venn. “When people are active in composting and change
all their light bulbs and ride bikes to work, they can kind of pat
themselves on the back and go, ‘OK, I’ve done my bit.’”

Even the little things, as Munn-Venn and Lysack explain, will reduce
the actual amount of carbon emissions and other pollution, slightly
slowing environmental degradation and allowing more time to make the
necessary deeper changes.
Personal green choices also send the message to industry that customers
expect sustainably produced goods, and supporting businesses already
operating this way helps build the sustainable economy.
Finally — and most importantly according to Munn-Venn and Lysack
— our everyday choices impact the way we see our relationship with
creation.
“Personal greening often helps people prepare psychologically,” says
Munn-Venn. “The earth needs a massive transformation in the way our
systems and economy are structured, and if we begin to make smaller
changes that alter the way we think about energy use, that can help us
prepare for the larger changes that need to be put in place.”
By the time my internship ended, I could see past the once shocking
absence of a compost bin. Instead I came to value the ability to order
fresh, free-range eggs from a co-worker’s friend’s farm, and the certified
organic coffee grounds purchased for the coffee machine. I also saw
how they were multiplying their impact by inspiring Christians across
the country to engage with their elected representatives on issues of
environmental justice. And I realized that when my co-workers walked,
biked, or carpooled to the office, it wasn’t just a financial decision.
They worked, after all, at an environmental policy office.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 37

38 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

feature

Missions: Open for business

Written By
John D. Barry
Illustrated By
Vicky Kim

“Globally, the entire
model of westerners
providing aid for
developing world
communities is
critiqued: it’s often
labelled as an
ineffective use of
funds that creates
dependencies.”

nthropologists generally view missionaries as the new colonialists,
bringing with them not just religion but also culture.
The anthropologist says: the white man’s burden carries with it a need
to change everyone who is different from him, and thus missions must
stop, before we lose the languages and cultures of the world.
Meanwhile, from within the Christian community, short-term mission
trips are also critiqued. We ask: why spend $2,000 on a trip, when $2,000
can provide 4,000 people with access to clean water? How effective is this
machine that brings wealthy white kids to the developing world for two
weeks? And could it be doing more harm than good?
Globally, the entire model of westerners providing aid for developing
world communities is critiqued: it’s often labelled as an ineffective use of
funds that creates dependencies.
Therefore, sustainability — phrased as community development — is
proposed as a solution. We should focus on locals doing the work, for
their own communities, in the hopes that they will carry forward the
work themselves. And we should be sure our answers don’t just meet
today’s needs, but build tomorrow’s future.
With all these critiques, we are left with major questions. Can we, as
western world Christians, help spread the hope and love of Jesus, while
moving beyond aid work alone, short-term thinking, and the pitfalls of
our colonial ancestors? Is it possible for us to bridge the gap between
community development and providing access to the gospel?
—
While colonialism that coloured western missionary efforts for
centuries had its sights on global domination, today our goal should be
global empowerment. This is what missions in the post-colonial world
looks like: it considers the long-term, it focuses on relationships, and it
is holistic in mindset.
It was during a visit to the developing world that all this really sunk
in for me. In Bihar, India — one of the most impoverished places in the
world — I sat together with a group of businesswomen and listened to
their stories.

Over 1.5 million U.S.
Christians participate in a short
term missions trip each year,
costing $2 billion annually.

One of the ladies, Kari, had not just learned to be a seamstress and tailor;
she had decided to teach other women how to do the same. The love of
Christ inspired Kari to share her skills with hundreds of other people. A
purely capitalistic approach would have told Kari to monopolize her skill

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 39

and use it solely for her own profit, but Kari responded in a different way:
she used her skill to help others.
Some of the ladies with Kari now had self-sustaining businesses due
to her efforts, the help of organizations such as Transformation India
Movement, and, of course, due to their own tenacity. But the women
explained that they were limited by the potential of their local markets.
They desired to develop products, but the local market only wanted basic
seamstress and tailoring work. Innovation was limited by circumstances,
and likewise so was job creation.

“Today, we don't just have
the power of choosing
where our money goes;
we have the power to bring
more money to the right
places. you and i have the
potential to change our
global economy.”

Like many developing communities, the people of Bihar also need to
have their basic needs met; they need access to clean water and medical
care. They know how to accomplish this effort, they just need the funds.
Bihar is a test case that shows the formula for holistic ministry: creating
jobs via microloans, planting churches via grants, and meeting basic
needs. All in the same place, at the same time.
In Bihar, empowering women in business is key to the sustainability
of the church. There are over 101 million people in Bihar who have
never heard the name of Jesus. Access to the gospel has the potential to
change the lives of millions, but access is limited by financial realities. We
can solve this by creating commerce. The world’s money runs through
business. It’s business that will fund community development and it’s
business — via the tithing of entrepreneurs and their workers — that will
fund churches.
So how can we — members of the body of Christ in the West who
want to bring the good news to the ends of the earth — contribute to this
work? One way is through providing access to a global marketplace —
such as an online fair trade store — for sustainable growth; the other is
through our pocketbooks.
We live in a time very different than any other before it. Our world is
more interconnected than it ever has been. We no longer have to think
about the sustainability of a local church based on local assets, or even the
potential of a local market. Instead, we can look to the global market as
the solution for getting money to impoverished communities.
The person who truly leverages the global economy — and engages
the innovative and ambitious developing-world entrepreneurs to do so
— will change the world. We can do what the big players cannot, or
choose not to do: seek out skilled artisans wherever they might be found
— in even the most humblest of places — and help take their products
to market.

Hopefully, wise Christians will be the ones to rise to the occasion,
because otherwise, we will once again see exploitation and the abuse of
wealth.
But this type of mission need not be limited to the world’s far corners.
We can contribute to it with what is, literally, at hand (or, for now, in our
wallets): money.
The individual has much more power than we like to admit; admitting
we have power is the first step toward doing something with it. Martin
Luther King, Jr. understood this. He saw the other side of this equation:
when you boycott, you show your beliefs with your money — and hurting
someone’s chequebook hurts them a lot.
Today, we don’t just have the power of choosing where our money
goes; we have the power to bring more money to the right places. You and
I have the potential to change our global economy, with our purchases
and with our business decisions. The everyperson can empower the
impoverished. He or she can start by shopping well.

The location of Buddha’s
enlightenment, Bodh Gaya,
is in Bihar, the poorest state
in India.

40 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

The world doesn’t need colonial ideas for providing access to the
gospel; it needs innovative ones.
For North Americans for whom colonial concepts are an inheritance,
we have two options going forward: we can continue doing what we’ve
been doing, or we can let the message of our global brothers and sisters
transform us.

Imagine if our global brothers and sisters started coming to visit us,
to teach us how to follow Jesus boldly, no matter what. Imagine what it
could do for our faith, as well as the strength and resolve of our global
efforts. And then, imagine if we provided the funding necessary for
microloans, church grants, and meeting basic needs in the developing
world. And then add to this providing access to a global marketplace
for sustainability. Finally, we can send out key trainers, such as business
leaders, to the developing world, to fill the educational gaps which inhibit
true empowerment.
If we as Christians, everywhere, truly viewed ourselves as the global
body of Christ, there is no limit to what we could do together. We all
have much to offer, but also much to learn.
Our world may be more interconnected than it ever has been before,
but we aren’t utilizing those connections for the sake of the gospel. By
the end of my lifetime, I want to see every neighbourhood have a church,
and every last person have access to the gospel. I want our generation to
finish the task of the great commission of Jesus.
Our brothers and sisters around the world are simply waiting for us to
respond, for us to act. So let’s act like Christians.
—
John D. Barry is the CEO and Founder of Jesus’ Economy, dedicated to
creating jobs and churches in the developing world. Because of John’s belief
that business can transform lives, Jesus’ Economy also provides an online
fair trade shop. He is currently leading Jesus’ Economy efforts to renew
Bihar, India — one of the most impoverished places in the world where few
have heard the name of Jesus. Learn more at JesusEconomy.org.

Bihar is a post-colonial state, with all the pain that comes with being
one. As someone with white ancestry, my appearance should make
me look like the enemy, but when you’re with my Indian friends —
those who lead Transformation India Movement — you’re a friend to
nearly everyone in their communities. And this is because my friends
are meeting the basic needs of the impoverished and developing
communities through business, while simultaneously providing access
to the gospel.

“i believe it’s time for
us, especially those of
us who are white, to set
aside our arrogance, and
realize that we have more
to learn spiritually than
we have to teach.”

My friends showed me how to explain Jesus in a post-colonial world:
live Jesus’ message and speak it.
In my conversations with global Christian leaders, I’ve quickly
realized that the world is losing faith in what North Americans can do
to help developing world Christians. I have a Nigerian friend who is
training future church leaders who told me that most of the Christians
he knows in Nigeria are convinced that there aren’t any real Christians
left in the U.S. and Canada. They see our hypocrisy and call us what we
are: people who claim we know Jesus, but act like we never met Him. It
is only the stories of sustainable, empowering work that convinces my
Nigerian friend that there are indeed real Christians left in the U.S.
and Canada.
When I hear about the booming church in Nigeria and elsewhere in
the world, even under persecution, I know that we North Americans
have a long way to go. I believe it’s time for western Christians,
especially those of us who are white, to set aside our arrogance, and
realize that we have more to learn spiritually than we have to teach.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 41

42 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

feature

Tough on crime is
tough on people
Written By
Jonathan and sarah
nicolai-dekoning
photography By
Rob Trendiak

“Does a Tough-on-crime
approach get us any
closer to the vision of
a world where all of
us have a chance to
flourish?”

n 2009, Toronto resident Leroy Smickle was caught in his
cousin’s apartment posing for a selfie with a loaded gun when
police coincidentally raided the home. Stupidity aside, Smickle had no
criminal record, and the gun belonged to someone else in the house.
Based on mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines for possession
of a loaded firearm, Smickle should have automatically received three
years in prison. But when his case finally went to trial in 2012, the
judge sentenced him to a one-year conditional term.
Despite a later appeal by the federal government, the court did not
sentence Smickle to further time. Its decision read in part, “[Smickle]
works two jobs, is developing his own business, has a stable loving
relationship with his fiancée, and a close relationship with his two
children from earlier relationships. He supports both children
financially…. The community is best protected if the respondent
continues along the rehabilitative path that he has followed in the five
years that he has been before the court.”
In effect, the courts ruled that mandatory minimum sentences are
constitutionally unjust. They don’t allow judges to take into account
the specific circumstances and situation of each individual who comes
before them.
Leroy Smickle’s story, and the decision of the judge to blatantly
disregard government-mandated sentencing, highlights just one of
many issues around the “tough on crime” approach to justice.
—
Beginning in 2008, Canada’s Conservative government began to
impose mandatory minimum sentences for a variety of crimes. These
sentences are part of a broader attempt by Prime Minister Stephen
Harper’s government to be “tough on crime” for the sake of public
safety. As Harper said in January 2013, “When it comes to keeping our
streets and our communities safe, we will not rest, for there is much
more work to be done.”
Of course, addressing crime and harm in our communities so that we
feel safe in our homes and our neighbourhoods is a worthy goal. Who
doesn’t want to address crime? But is being “tough-on-crime” really
the best path to community well-being and to seeing justice done?

Close to half of all
inmates required
mental health care
in the past year.

For those of us who identify as Christians, we need to ask other
important questions. Does a tough-on-crime approach get us any
closer to the vision of a world where all of us have a chance to flourish?
Can we say “yes” to both a tough-on-crime agenda and to the good
news of Jesus?

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 43

—
In our work with marginalized communities who are entrenched in the
justice system, we’ve come to know the humanity behind the “convict”
label.
Tim is someone we know and work with who committed a violent
crime almost 30 years ago to feed the drug habits of manipulative friends.
He has spent most of his adult life in jail on a life sentence, and is now
making a slow journey to life on the outside. He finds joy in playing the
guitar and writing music. He spends his time in prison doing community
service at a local organization, worrying about how to pay for his smoking
habit, and whether or not his hockey team will make the playoffs this
season (odds are low).
As Tim prepares for parole, the reality is that the prison system he has
been a part of for most of his existence has done little to equip him for life
on the outside. “Tough-on-crime” has been tough on Tim, and he now
leaves prison wide-eyed, hands shaking.
And we wonder why two-thirds of those released end up back in prison.
—
The tough-on-crime approach has included a number of recent
developments: legislation that makes pardons more difficult for former
inmates; mandatory minimum sentences which limit a judge’s ability
to sentence creatively; expanding federal prisons (at a time when many
European countries are shutting them down for lack of need); taking away
opportunities in prisons such as job training or access to arts and culture;
and cutting funding for a variety of reintegration support programs for
former inmates.

“FOR ISAIAH, JUSTICE IS
VALLEYS BEING RAISED AND
MOUNTAINS BEING MADE
LOW, LEVELLING THE PLAINS
SO THAT EVERYONE HAS A
CHANCE TO FULFILL THEIR
GOD-GIVEN POTENTIAL.”

Some of these developments initially sound good. Who doesn’t want
safer streets? Who doesn’t value accountability and responsibility? But
a closer look at these issues puts a permanent question mark over the
tough-on-crime agenda.
For instance, for many small-scale crimes, offenders must pay a “victim
surcharge” — a small fee that encourages accountability and helps fund
programs and services for victims of crime. Judges have traditionally had
the ability to waive this fee, or lessen it, for unique circumstances.
So, if a youth struggling with addiction went on a shoplifting spree at
10 stores in a mall, a judge could waive the fee and instead sentence the
offender to spend time in a rehab program. New legislation has made
that much more difficult. Now, this same youth would likely be charged a
fine for each theft. Unable to afford the fines, he would probably end up
at the local jail to pay off the debt. City jails are hardly the place to heal
from addictions and work toward a crime-free life.
Under the new legislation, pardons have also become more expensive
and more elusive. As a result, former offenders who have lived crime-free
for 20, 30, or even 40 years have difficulty clearing their records. This
creates one more barrier to getting a job or finding a new apartment.

The average
Canadian offender
has a Grade 8 level
of education.

These laws are intended to make us feel safer by letting employers or
landlords know who they are doing business with; but instead, they have
the consequence of isolating former inmates, making their journey to
healing even more difficult than it already is.
Though the federal government enacted this legislation to address

44 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

crime and to keep our streets and communities safe, the truth is that
crime rates were falling long before the “tough-on-crime” approach
began. Other countries that have tried this framework, the United
States being the most well-known example, have actually seen a rise in
crime. Ultimately, our communities do not become safer or healthier;
we lose the potential of all of those would-be community members,
who sit in our jails for longer or more often than necessary.
Not only that, but “tough-on-crime” is an expensive experiment. It
costs around $110,000 to incarcerate a man in Canada for a year, and
over $200,000 for a woman. Yet despite all of this money to address
crime and criminal behaviour, almost two-thirds of released offenders
end up back in prison at some point after their release.
Perhaps it is time to be smart on crime, rather than tough on crime.
—
For Christians, being smart on crime means asking if our approach
to justice makes gospel-sense.
At the heart of historic Christian prison reform movements lies the
conviction that in Jesus, God has given us a second chance. We are
now obligated to extend that second chance to others, often in very
real-world, practical ways.
A community of second-chance people should be skeptical about
any criminal justice system that denies genuine opportunities for

second chances to offenders: whether through limiting pardons, cutting
reintegration supports, or cultivating unnecessary fear about releasing
inmates in our communities.
Christians are also concerned about justice. This concern, at least on
the surface, is something we hold in common with advocates of a toughon-crime agenda. We all want justice to be served. But Christians steeped
in the visions and dreams of the biblical prophets, psalm-writers, lawmakers, and Jesus Himself are committed to a different vision of justice
than the one on offer from the tough-on-crime folks.
Put simply, a Christian vision of justice is about creating space for all
to flourish. That means the “widows, orphans, aliens, and strangers,” as
the prophets put it; we might add inmates, refugees, and those without
homes to the list.
The biblical symbol for justice isn’t a scale, a sword, or a blindfold —
all ancient symbols for a modern justice system that values fairness, order,
and consequence above all else. For the ancient prophet Amos, justice
looks something like a wild river — a dynamic process that gives life to all
in its path; for Isaiah, justice is valleys being raised and mountains being
made low, levelling the plains so that everyone has a chance to fulfill their
God-given potential.
This biblical vision of justice could only happen if our legislators, police,
and prisons have the freedom to focus on rehabilitation and restoration,
while also addressing root causes like poverty and oppression.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 45

Think again of Leroy Smickle’s situation. In Smickle’s case — a
non-violent, unprecedented error in judgement — would a three-year
mandatory minimum sentence have fit this biblical idea of justice? Would
it have contributed to personal and societal flourishing? We can safely say
no. It would only have served to strain his relationships with his fiancée
and children, and temporarily sever his growing connections with and
contributions to his community.
—
True justice is achieved when broken relationships have been healed
and communities have been made whole.
Crime, is above all, a relationship that has been severed. That
relationship may be neighbour-to-neighbour, mother to son, or individual
to community. In any case, any attempt to do justice must seek to rebuild
that relationship in real and practical ways: making restitution, giving
back through service, addressing causes like addiction or mental health,
and being honest about the many ways in which victims have been hurt.
Justice is not simply done when a punishment has been meted out or
time has been served; justice is done when a community can find a “new
normal” after a crime has disrupted their lives. A just society will prize
relational wholeness over any false sense of safety through punishment.
To view justice as space for flourishing means we are invited to look at
the big picture. What is the context that led to a crime being committed
and a victim being hurt? And what has to happen for a community or a
person to be made whole again?
To answer these questions, we have to be willing to listen to the stories
behind the crimes.
A tough-on-crime approach has a hard time getting past the particular
incident of the crime. Both the offender and the victim are defined almost
entirely in relation to that one offence.
We need to have the courage to look at things differently.
We can look at an offender’s past and see it for all its beauty and its
pain. We can see the addictions or poverty or family brokenness that may
have contributed to a crime, and we can see the many gifts that a person
has that can lead to a new future.
Let’s have the courage to resist the voices of media or government and
refuse to define someone by the worst decision they’ve ever made. Let’s
look at difficult people or messy situations with redemptive eyes. Perhaps
then we can respond to crimes appropriately, and give our legal system
the freedom to do the same.
—
There is one final conviction that resists the tough-on-crime agenda,
and especially its tendency to demonize those who are behind bars. It’s
the basic confession that all of us are created in the image of God. To
treat an image-bearer with anything less than basic human dignity —
much less love — is an affront to the Christian faith. Enter many prisons
in Canada, and it becomes clear that our justice system does not view
most offenders as equally human to those of us on the outside.

46 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

“JUSTICE IS NOT SIMPLy
DONE WHEN A PUNISHMENT
HAS BEEN METED OUT OR
TIME HAS BEEN SERVED;
JUSTICE IS DONE WHEN A
COMMUNITY CAN FIND A ‘NEW
NORMAL’ AFTER A CRIME HAS
DISRUPTED THEIR LIVES.”

Confessing that we are all made in God’s image can compel us to
welcome those leaving prison as potential friends and neighbours, and
not merely as dangerous folk to be avoided.
In Paul’s letter to Philemon, the apostle encourages a wealthy
community leader Philemon to welcome back a runaway servant,
Onesimus. Onesimus was, by the logic and law of the day, a criminal,
deserving of time in jail and separation from the community. But Paul
insisted that Philemon use a different logic, kingdom logic. So he invited
Philemon to welcome Onesimus back “no longer as a slave but as a
brother,” just as Jesus asks us to do, in the face of those we meet in prison
(and everywhere else).
Many people we’ve come to know who have served time have been
victims themselves, and many have dealt with serious issues of mental
health, poverty, substance-abuse, or historic injustice like the Indian
Residential School system. Some of them are still violent, still committing
crimes, still in need of a justice system that provides accountability as well
as compassion.
—
Clearly the end game of “tough-on-crime” is not the same kind of
community well-being envisioned by the gospel. Tough on crime is short
on redemption, restoration, and grace. This is cause for advocating for
change within our justice system. Perhaps then justice will truly roll down
like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
—
Jonathan and Sarah Nicolai-deKoning live in Edmonton, Alberta with their
daughter, Amaryah, and Jonathan’s sourdough starter, Gertie. They are both
involved with marginalized communities affected by the justice system.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 47

culture

A FEARFUL FUTURE

Written By
joel AND LAUREN bentley

A discussion of Dave Eggers’ The Circle

ave Eggers’ novel The Circle is a fascinating and thoughtprovoking read. Set in the near future, it centres on a tech
company, The Circle, that has superseded both Google and Facebook
in size and in scope. As the company grows, it expands its seemingly
benevolent influence across social, commercial and political spheres.
The novel follows new hire Mae Holland as she starts working on
The Circle’s campus, and begins with her proclaiming, “My God, it’s
heaven.” It’s clear that the company is indeed attempting to create our
contemporary idea of heaven on earth with epic parties, tasteful green
spaces, public art, and only-the-best-for-you cafeterias.

the circle
dave eggers

“The question that
constantly underlines
the book is, what is the
price of this utopia?”

And it continues; using technology and data, it strives to eliminate
poverty, child abduction and molestation, crime, and health problems.
Nearly everyone working there is our generation’s version of a saint:
do-gooder geniuses intent on improving the world. But the question
that constantly underlines the book is, what is the price of this utopia?
In this case, it’s near-total abdication of privacy and the inner life.
Eggers forces us to ask whether or not it’s worth it, and how far will we
go for perfection.
Eggers takes a few liberties in letting his fears — that we’re trading
in our humanity for incomplete, digital pictures of ourselves — run
their course in this novel, but he does so to make a point. These datacollecting technologies can be dangerous if we’re not careful, even if
we’re passive, as Mae tends to be throughout. Maybe these fears are a
little hyperbolic, but they’re sure to inspire discussion.
The characters in The Circle are also hyperconnected: they email,
text, and tweet at a near-constant pace. This connectivity seems to take
a toll on them, as many are portrayed as needy, overly sensitive, or
flippant.
In this way Eggers is shining a mirror back on our collective
insecurity. He invites us to reflect on the pervasiveness of our culture’s
defensive tendencies. There’s an underlying oversensitivity present in
so many articles and blog posts today; if something remotely offends
you, you’re now allowed — even encouraged — to complain about it.
This subsequently stifles divergent voices who fear offending the status
quo, ironically sabotaging diversity, North America’s virtue du jour.
Passivity plays a large role in this story, as Mae continually favours
the status quo. If we turn and face our humanity head on, we’re forced
to confront our own weaknesses: our fear of the unknown, our lack
of integrity, our inability to step out of line in order to stand up for
justice.
It’s so much easier to blend in and follow the crowd. It’s a rare hero
who is able to give up what they know, their comfort, security, and
identity in order to face the unknown terror of individuality.

48 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

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Music musings
Musings

Written By
joel bentley

alt-j | this is all yours

john mark mcmillan | borderland

my brightest diamond | this is my hand

Alt-J makes music in a style that’s solely its
own. With vocal instrumentation, dramatic
swells, intricate layering and pensive moments
of calm, This Is All Yours is full of diversity that
somehow reaches cohesion, thanks to the
signature sound of Joe Newman’s vagabond
voice. His voice is an unusual specimen.
It dips down into baritone with grain and
growl, but also lifts up into a sweet falsetto.
Add Gus Unger-Hamilton’s delicate keys and
Thom Green’s propulsive percussion and
there are innumerable textures at work here.
Thematically the album is just as varied as
the instrumentation, with songs focusing on
everything from homosexual rights (“Nara”)
to Alien actor John Hurt and his famous
chest-bursting scene (“The Gospel of John
Hurt”). But more often than not the songs are
dealing with raw emotions: from heartbreak
(“Hunger of the Pine”) to lust (“Every Other
Freckle”) to love (“Warm Foothills”).

John Mark McMillan is destined for a stadium.
His songs are large, boisterous chorals
meant to fill the rafters. His latest album,
Borderland, is relentless in its ambition. From
the ringing guitars of “Love at the End” to
the group-sing of “Visceral,” the energy
remains high. The opener “Holy Ghost,” a
rare quiet moment, introduces McMillan’s
keen earnestness as he sings wearily over
the piano, mournful strings, and eventually
a hopeful choir. It’s that earnestness that sets
this album apart. While a few cliched lines
sneak their way in, he manages to avoid the
tropes that so often mire modern worship
music, firmly believing that worship songs
should reach higher. And they do — these
are songs for anyone longing to see heaven
breach our border.

A classically trained opera singer, My
Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden knows
a thing or two about orchestration. And
this is no harp and lyre affair. Full brass,
glockenspiel, dirty guitars, even a drumline
all make an appearance on This Is My Hand,
her fourth album. Said drumline lays the
groundwork for the opener “Pressure,” a
playful exposition on diamonds that could be
her theme song. This diversion is contrasted
by the incredibly intimate title track, where
Warden describes each part and emotion she
possesses as an offering of love: “Like lilac
wine pouring out to thee, for thee.” But
love is not the only emotion shown here.
“Lover Killer” shows the human capacity
for both love and violence, beginning with
simple hand claps and slowly building to an
explosive bridge, where she sings “I am a
lover and a killer!” over a disco beat, buzz
bass, and doo-wop singers.

CONVERGEMAGAZINE.COM | 49

last word

fishers of men

Written By
michelle sudduth
Illustrated By
Kriza Borromeo

“GOD’S LOVE POURS
FORTH LIBERATION AND
HEALING FROM ALL
FORMS OF OPPRESSION
AND BROKENNESS.”

omeone asks you to help at a charity function or to support a local
or overseas organization. You think about it, and while you know it
would be a good thing to do, you let the opportunity pass by. “What could
I do anyway? My small effort isn’t going to change much of anything.
And how relevant is social justice to my faith in the first place?”
Many of us have a deep-seated misunderstanding that being “fishers
of men” means doing whatever you can to get people out of an eternity
in hell — which is only accomplished by saying the sinner’s prayer. Hell
happens later, after death; in the here and now, the duty of the Christian
is to sell heavenly insurance for the ultimate retirement in the sky.
Following this thinking leads a person to respond apathetically to
injustice. If being a believer is about getting people out of an eternity in
hell, there really is no urgency or vision for getting people out of the hell
of their present. If today is merely a waiting game until souls get to be
carefree in heaven, the present hell of an impoverished individual comes
second to ensuring their eternal home.
Furthermore, our current era holds separate the physical and the
spiritual, making us wonder what our faith has to do with dirty drinking
water, lack of nutrition, or sexual safety. A lingering mistrust and even
hatred of materiality — the “flesh” — has caused us to neglect the
sacredness of being embodied in a beautifully created world. Because
our Christian culture has overly-focused on “personal” relationship with
Christ, we don’t often see ourselves as a worldwide community with a
deep attachment to our most vulnerable family members.
Throughout the Old Testament, God mourns the injustice taking
place in the kingdoms of the world. Isaiah 58 captures how God’s love
pours forth liberation and healing from all forms of oppression and
brokenness. In the New Testament, Jesus proves God’s care for the

50 | CONVERGE. WINTER 2014

created, material world by coming in a human body, to a place here on
earth, and miraculously healing physical diseases.
Jesus’ death broke the power of darkness and injustice in every realm:
physical, emotional, spiritual, cultural, political. All of these injustices are
marks of oppressive kingdoms that oppose God’s righteous love. Jesus
brought with him the reign of a new kingdom, one of liberation for all
those in every kind of bondage. Indeed, God is interested in saving people
from every kind of present hell.
It’s probably safe for all of us to accept the possibility that we haven’t
been equipped to engage the darkest places in our world. We can feel
overwhelmed because we don’t know if and where social justice fits in our
“personal relationship” with God, if getting involved really matters in the
end, and how to handle the difficulties and discouragements that arise.
“Justice is what love looks like in public,” Cornel West brilliantly
writes. God isn’t sending you off to heal the world; instead, God is
inviting you to places where the Spirit is already at work, places that
require human hands and feet to unfold restorative purposes. When you
accept only your part, trusting that God is at work, there is no need to be
overwhelmed, even when injustice seems to be winning.
Link arms with others, and ask God to give you the power and courage
to follow where the Spirit is inviting you. God is faithful to give you the
ability to extend yourself to those who are in need if you are open to
being led. And let us all pray, the way Jesus taught us to pray: that God’s
kingdom would come to earth, as it is in heaven.

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